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Ali’s phone started vibrating where she’d placed it on the table. She picked it up and glanced at the screen to see who was calling. On screen was the name of a colleague who worked at a veterinary clinic across town. “Excuse me.” She picked up the phone and stepped away from the girls. “Yvonne, how are you?”

“Ali, I’m good. Look, I’m sorry to call, but the police just dropped a dog off here that I think you know.”

She glanced across to where Axe was playing. “A dog I know?”

“Yeah, a gorgeous female Malinois called Saber–”

“Is she alive?” Ali interrupted.

“She’s alive and well. It looks like someone sedated her. But, Ali, it looks like she might be feeding pups, and the police didn’t mention them.”

“Yvonne, I’m going to call her owner. I’ll get straight back to you.”

“Yeah, OK. I’ll be here.”

Ali ended the call and immediately called George’s number. She waited for the call to connect, but it rang out. She tried again, but the outcome was the same.

“Is everything OK?” asked Maria.

“I’m not sure. Saber is at a veterinary surgery, and I can’t get in contact with George. I’m worried something might have happened to the puppies.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Jenny.

“I’m going to call Mike. He and the boys will be back any time now, and they’ll know what to do. Then I’m going to go and check on Saber.”

Mike’s truck skidded to a halt in front of George’s house, and he leaped from the cab. Rick was a half-step behind him as he dashed to the front porch. He spotted yellow tape crisscrossing the door as he mounted the steps. Checking the door, he could see that the lock had been forced.

“This doesn’t look good,” said Rick as he joined him.

“No, it doesn’t.” Mike walked around the side of the house and down the path to the backyard. The lock on the side gate had been cut, but the latch was still intact. Pushing it open, he stepped into the yard as he called out. “Puppies!”

“There’s no one here, bro,” observed Rick.

“Pup, pup, puppies,” Mike tried once more, but there was no sign of the five Malinois puppies. He went to the back door and tried the handle; it was unlocked.

“Bro, I’m pretty sure that’s a crime scene. Let’s go down to the local station and see what happened,” said Rick.

Mike paused. “Yeah, good call.”

As they left the property, they heard a voice from the house next door.

“Excuse me!” An elderly gentleman was standing on the lawn next door. “You’re the man with the dog. The one who’s friends with Saber.”

“Axe, yeah, I’m his owner, Mike. This is my buddy, Rick.”

“I’m Albert,” replied the man.

“Albert, do you know what happened to George and the puppies?” asked Mike.

“He was attacked. The ambulance took him to the hospital. I know the police took Saber to a vet, but no one has seen the puppies,” said Albert.

“Do you know if he’s OK?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t see anything until the police and ambulance came,” replied the elderly man. “They took him out on a stretcher.”

“Did the cops say anything about who attacked him?” asked Mike.

Albert shook his head. “They asked me a bunch of questions, but, as I said. I didn’t hear or see anything until the emergency services arrived. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I really hope George is OK, he’s a good man and a good neighbor.”